Homes on land earmarked for football ground refused

Plans to build more than 160 homes on land once earmarked for a football club's training ground development have been refused.

Sheffield City Council's planning officers last week rejected an outline application to transform the land just off Bawtry Road, which was previously considered as a site for Rotherham United's training ground.

A report said the development was expected to support the employment of 556 people and could generate £4.3 million in tax revenue, along with about £322,000 in council tax.

However, a design and access statement said the 5.6-hectare (13.83 acre) site was "not currently accessible".

It added: "There are significant opportunities to create walking routes and amenity spaces for the benefit of the wider community."

The document noted the site would be in a suitable, sustainable and deliverable location, and the development would help support a range of local services.

Applicant Barratt & David Wilson Homes said in its planning statement that "the site was previously used for recreation and sports purposes, but historic aerial photography regression suggests that the site has not been laid out, or used as, a playing pitch for over a decade."

However, a decision notice from the planning department said the plans would "result in the loss of playing fields, which are not demonstrably surplus to requirements".

It added no appropriate replacement playing fields had been proposed to replace them.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.